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‘Hell is turning over’: NBA players take the lead on mental health issues

By Matt George Moore

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: A generic basketball photo of the backboard during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles as a part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steven Baffo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: A generic basketball photo of the backboard during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles as a part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steven Baffo/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Players are opening up about their struggles with mental illness. These are brave acts in the macho world of the National Basketball Association.

It probably started earlier, but the ball really got rolling with a tweet.

At first, it wasn’t clear whether DeMar DeRozan’s 3:06 a.m. tweet was an acknowledgment of something profoundly personal or just lyrics from rap artist Kevin Gates’ song “Tomorrow.”

Turns out it was both.

Mental Health and the NBA

That tweet not only went viral but generated an enormous amount of responses and goodwill toward the Toronto Raptors star. And that momentum has only increased in recent weeks, as more and more players are opening up about their own struggles with mental health issues.

Here’s DeRozan, as reported by the Toronto Star:

"“Man, the last week has been probably one of the most incredible things that, me personally, I’ve witnessed, period. The response and everything I’ve got back from it was so positive … and it made me feel, you know, pretty damn good, honestly. So it’s cool to be able to help somebody.”"

Groundswell

DeRozan’s willingness to discuss the topic also inspired Kevin Love, who has kept the conversation going with a piece published Tuesday in The Players’ Tribune titled “Everyone Is Going Through Something”:

"One of the reasons I wanted to write this comes from reading DeMar’s comments … about depression. I’ve played against DeMar for years, but I never could’ve guessed that he was struggling with anything. It really makes you think about how we are all walking around with experiences and struggles — all kinds of things — and we sometimes think we’re the only ones going through them. The reality is that we probably have a lot in common with what our friends and colleagues and neighbors are dealing with. … (C)reating a better environment for talking about mental health … that’s where we need to get to."

And finally, on Thursday, the Washington Wizards’ Kelly Oubre Jr. described what it’s been like for him to live with mental illness:

"I’m really good at keeping a poker face because when I was growing up, my dad always told me, ‘Don’t let anybody see you weak.’ Nobody sees that I’m weak, but deep down inside, I am going through a lot, and Hell is turning over. … I just go in a quiet place and breathe, man. Just being mindful is the only way I know how to get through any anxiety, any depression or anything like that. … I feel like people who are on the outside looking in don’t really understand because they see us as superheroes, but we’re normal people, man."

Fans

I heartily recommend reading each of the stories linked above. As the testimony of these players makes clear, once one NBA baller admits to struggling with mental illness, it becomes easier for others to do the same. This is just the beginning of something much bigger.

More from Rip City Project

But what does that mean for NBA fans? I think it means that people who love the game of basketball — especially those of us who write about sports in general and the NBA in particular — need to be increasingly mindful of something that DeRozan, Love and Oubre have emphasized: These players are not supermen; they’re human.

Criticism

It’s easy to criticize a player’s performance. For many of us, it’s our job to do so. Once a player steps onto the court, all we’re concerned about as journalists and fans is whether or not they can limit turnovers and put the ball through the hoop with consistency. Our focus is on how a player affects his team’s playoff chances.

This makes sense. These players are professionals; we expect them to leave their personal troubles at the door, just as we are expected to do in our own lines of work. But, unlike NBA players, our job performance isn’t subjected to the level of scrutiny that comes with being an NBA player.

Next: Stay up-to-date on everything Trail Blazers

Those of us here in Rip City know that Trail Blazers fans can be just as critical of players performing poorly as fans in other NBA markets. I’m not suggesting that fans and journos covering the NBA refrain from criticizing players. I do think, however, that it’s important to at least consider that when a player has a poor game, or seems to disappear from one game to the next, that there may be a lot more going on than meets the eye.

Sometimes a player is going through heavy times.

Sometimes “hell is turning over.”